Ladle stopper



' April 6, 1937. A. MATTA 2,076,475

LADLE STOPPER Filed NOV. 2'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a. M I a I A? Af'roRNn April 6, 1937. A. MATTA 2,076,475

LADLE STOP PER Filed Nov. 27,, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED ST? PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to stoppers for ladles used in pouring molten metal, and has for an object to provide a novel mechanism for adjusting the stopper to seal the pouring opening in the 5 ladle.

A further object is to provide a toggle hinge permitting adjustment of the stopper about a horizontal and a vertical axis to dispose the stopper in registration with the opening whenever it may become displaced.

A still further object is to provide novel adjusting screws which coact with a hinge in holding the stopper in an adjusted position.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stopper equipped with operating and adjusting mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary'detail front elevation of the toggle hinge.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a front elevation of the socket link with the parts separated.

Figure Sis a detail elevation of one of the parts of the socket link.

Figure 9 is a planview of a modified form of toggle hinge.

In the steel industry the heat of molten metal is withdrawn from the furnace and conveyed for distribution to a battery of molds by means of a ladle having a pouring opening in the bottom controlled by a valve called a stopper. The stopper is ordinarily opened and closed from a point outside the ladle by means of a link mechanism having up and down movement. No provision is made for adjustment of this two motion control mechanism to compensate for unequal wear on the tip of the stopper, warping of the stopper or the stopper seat, or other damage to the stopper 7 or seat which may prevent the stopper accurately registering with the pouring opening. It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide an adjustment for the stopper control means or stopper actuating mechanism, which will permit of the stopper being adjusted laterally bodily and canted from the perpendicular so as to eliminate the difficulties arising from the above mentioned causes of defective sealing function of the stopper.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I 0 designates a ladle such as is employed in the steel industry and which includes an outer metallic shell I I and a refractory lining Ill. The ladle has a flat bottom in which there is disposed a pouring opening I3 defined by a tubular seat It having a conical bearing surface I5 against which is seated the rounded lower end of a valve or stopper I6. The stopper is sufficient in length to project upwardly beyond the top of the ladle.

In carrying out the invention I provide a barrel H which is mounted in upright position upon the exterior of the ladle by means of a hinge designated in general by the numeral I8 which permits movement of the barrel about both a horizontal and a vertical axis as will hereinafter be described in detail.

The lower end of the barrel is adjustably held at any setting of the hinge by means of adjusting screws I9 which have ball and socket connections 20 with the barrel and ball and socket connections 2i with the ladle below the hinge. The parts will later be described in detail.

It will thus be seen that the barrel It can be manually canted around the horizontal axis of the hinge and swung laterally in either direction around the vertical axis of the hinge and held in the canted or adjusted position by the adjusting screws.

A shaft 22 is splined in the barrel, as shown at 22', and at the upper end is connected to the upper end of the stopper by means of a link 23 having a slot 24 to receive the threaded upper end of the stopper I6, stop nuts 25 carried by the end of the stopper bearing against the slotted end of the link to hold the stopper I 6, the link 23, and the shaft 22 connected together as a rigid unitary assembly.

For moving the shaft 22 and stopper l6 carried thereby upwardly and downwardly, a lever 24 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the lower end of the shaft 22, as shown at 25', one end of the lever being equipped with a removable handle 26 and the opposite end of the lever being connected to the bottom of the ladle by means of a socket link 21 formed in two mating parts 28 which enclose between them a ball 29 carried by a pin 3!! which is secured to a lug 3! on the ladle by means of a nut 32. The socket link is pivotally connected to the lever 24', as shown at 33. The link 2'! having the ball and socket connection with the ladle permits of the handle 26 being manipulated to raise and lower the shaft 22, link 23, and stopper I6 as a unit regardless of the canted, lateral adjusted position of the barrel l1.

It will thus be apparent that in addition to the up and down movement of the stopper 16, which is the usual extent of movement of a ladle stopper,

:' the stopper [6 according to the invention is capable of being realigned laterally to register with the pouring opening if it has become displaced to either one side or the other of the opening, or may be canted in a plane at a right angle to the plane of the lateral adjustment to bring the stopper back into registration with the pouring opening when displaced from proper position to seal the opening. Thus proper contact between the rounded end of the stopper and the conical wall [5 of the seat may be obtained to adjust the stopper so as to effectively seal the pouring opening.

The'preferred type of hinge 18, shown in Figure 5, comprises horizontal hinge pins 34 which are fixed at diametrically opposite points in the barrel at substantially the center of the barrel and terminate in ball ends 35 which are received in two part socket members each comprising a cap 36 and a base 31, as shown best in Figure 1. The

' base is equipped with a web 38 which is provided with hinge eyes 39 that interfit with similar hinge eyes 69 formed integral with the ladle l0. Vertical pintles or hinge pins 4| are passed through the interfitting hinge eyes.

It will be apparent by referring to Figure 5 that the barrel Il may be rocked about a horizontal axis on the hinge pins 34 or may be rocked about vertical axes consisting of both hinge pins 4!, the balls 35 permitting of this latter movement.

If desired a simpler form of hinge may be substituted for the preferred form. As shown by Figure 9 the barrel 42 is provided with integral hinge ears 43 which receive between them a hinge ear 44 and through these interfitting hinge ears a pintle or hinge pin 45' is passed to provide the horizontal axis about which the barrel may be swung. The hinge ear 44 is provided with an integral hinge ear 45 disposed at a right angle to the hinge ear 44 and which is received between the hinge ears 46 carried by a plate 4'! which may be secured to the ladle in any preferred manner. A pintle or hinge pin 4? is passed through the interfitting hinge ears 45 and 46 and comprises the vertical axis about which the barrel may be swung.

Referring now to Figure 6 it will be seen that the adjusting screws I9 are provided with wrench faces 48 at the outer ends and that the screws adjacent to the wrench faces have threaded engagement with the balls 20 which are held in socket members each comprising a lug 49 projecting from the barrel and a cap 50 which is bolted to the lug, as shown at 5!. By simultaneously paying off one of the screws and taking up on the other screw the barrel Il may be swung laterally on the vertical hinge pins 4| as indicated by dotted lines to shift the stopper l6 laterally into registration' with the pouring opening whenever it becomes displaced sufficiently to only partly register with the opening. At times it may be necessary to cant the barrel I! forwardly or rearwardly as well as shift it laterally and this may be done by manually rocking the barrel on the horizontal pivot pins 34 of the hinge.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a ladle having a pouring opening, of a barrel secured to the ladle and adjustable around a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, a manually operable shaft slidably mounted in the barrel and operatively connected to the stopper to move as a unit with the stopper for actuating the stopper, and means for holding the barrel in adjusted positions.

2. The combination with a ladle having a pouring opening and a stopper controlling the opening, of a barrel, a hinge securing the barrel to the ladle for adjustment around a horizontal and a vertical axis, a manually operable shaft slidably mounted in the barrel and operatively connected to the stopper to move as a unit with the stopper for actuating the stopper to move, and means for holding the barrel in adjusted positions.

3. The combination with a ladle having a pouring opening, of a barrel secured to the ladle and adjustable around a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, a manually operable shaft slidably mounted in the barrel and operatively connected to the stopper to move as a unit with the stopper for actuating the stopper, and adjusting screws having universal joint connections with the barrel and with the ladle for holding the barrel in adjusted positions.

1. The combination with a ladle having a pouring opening and a stopper for controlling the opening, or" a barrel, a hinge securing the barrel to the ladle for adjustment around a horizontal and a vertical axis, a manually operable shaft slidably mounted in the barrel and operatively connected to the stopper to move as a unit with the stopper, and adjusting screws having universal joint connections with the barrel and with the ladle for holding the barrel in adjusted positions.

5. The combination with a ladle having a pouring opening and a stopper controlling the opening, of a barrel, a hinge securing the barrel to the ladle for adjustment around a horizontal and a vertical axis, a shaft slidably mounted in the barrel and operatively connected to the stopper to move as a unit with the stopper, adjusting screws having universal joint connections with the barrel and with the ladle for holding the barrel in adjusted positions, and a lever for actuating the shaft pivoted intermediate its ends to the lower end of the shaft and having a universal joint connection with the ladle.

ANDREW MATIA. 

